Kids & Family
Florida Couple Buys Baby Bouncer; Finds AR-15 In Box Instead
Veronica Alvarez-Rodriguez thought she had found the perfect baby shower gift. What she did not expect was a semi-automatic rifle.
PENSACOLA, FL — Baby showers are a time for celebrating the upcoming arrival of a new family member, gathering with friends and getting spoiled with a mass of baby gifts too cute to handle. But, as a Facebook post shared more than 1,000 times shows us, a Florida couple accidentally gave a completely inappropriate gift to the expectant parents.
Veronica Alvarez-Rodriguez and her husband thought they had found the perfect baby shower gift when they purchased a Baby Einstein's bouncer for less than $10 at a Goodwill in Valparaiso.
They thought they'd gotten a lot of bang for their 10 bucks. Little did they know how literal that assumption was.
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Alvarez-Rodriguez continued on to the celebration in Crestview, located about 50 miles northeast of Pensacola, after purchasing the bouncer.
"It was the perfect gift for the baby shower," she told the Panama City News Herald.
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Alvarez-Rodriguez told local reporters the item was unopened and appeared to be new.
The father-to-be couldn't contain his excitement when he opened the box, according to reports.
"You guys got me a gun!" he said
To the couple's great surprise, the baby bouncer box contained a Mossberg 715 semi-automatic rifle with live ammo in it.
Alvarez-Rodriguez took to Facebook to share the unexpected two-for-one deal.
"When you go to the Goodwill for a baby shower gift thinking you got a good deal on a bouncer ($10) not even opened and you end up opening a MOSSEBERG 715T Semi-Auto Rifle.
"Total shock for us," she told FOX 35 News of the assault weapon in the shower gift. "But also hilarious and just glad it came into the safe hands with all of our husbands being military."
After the unexpected unboxing, the Crestview Police Department was called and an officer checked the expectant parents' IDs and said they could keep the gun. Police returned the following day, though, and asked the father-to-be to turn the gun over.
The incident remains under investigation, according to Crestview police spokesman Andrew Schneider.
It looks like you truly can find almost anything for under $10 at Goodwill.
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